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Lords win nine straight to finish in first place in 2017 NCAC standings

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The Lords clinched their third straight North Coast Athletic Conference (NCAC) regular season title with three more wins against Ohio Wesleyan University (Oct. 17), Depauw University (Oct. 21) and Oberlin College (Oct. 25). These wins continued the Lords’ nine-game winning streak.

Kenyon started quickly against rival Ohio Wesleyan, which stands at second place in the NCAC regular season title race. The Lords fired off 11 shots in the first half as their defense held the Battling Bishops to only two. The Lords outshot OWU 19-6.

Alberto Carmona ’19 struck first for the Lords, taking a shot from the right side of the box and tucking it into the lefthand corner of the net. Eleven seconds later, Henry Myers ’18 intercepted a pass and found Brice Koval ’19 in front of the net for a one-on-one opportunity, which Koval slid past the keeper.

In the 33rd minute, OWU cut the lead in half as they capitalized on a failed clearance from the Kenyon defense and beat keeper Ian McInturf ’21 to put the game at 2-1 for the Battling Bishops.

In the second half, the Lords tallied an insurance goal by Myers to put the Lords up 3-1.

On Senior Day against Depauw, the Lords struggled to score despite outshooting their opponents 24-6 throughout the match. The only goal of the match came in the fifth minute, as Bret Lowry ’19 headed the ball into the back of the net off of a Woo Jeon ’18 throw-in. For the remaining 85 minutes, the Kenyon defense performed well, making McInturf save just one shot en route to his seventh shutout this season as the Lords improved their record with another win.

“Our seniors have stepped up and [have] been leaders on and off the pitch,” Lowry said on Senior Day, “which has motivated the juniors and underclassmen and helped us throughout this winning streak.”

With the NCAC regular season title on the line, Kenyon needed just a win or tie against Oberlin to clinch it, and the Lords stepped up. After a scoreless first half, the Lords’ offense came alive, scoring twice on 12 shots as Koval and Oliver Wynn ’18 put the Lords up 2-0 with goals in the 64th and 81st minutes, respectively. With the 2-0 win, the Lords won the NCAC season title for the third straight year.

“We know that we can beat anyone on a given day,” Lowry said, “we need to make sure we come out with the same fire each and every game to give ourselves the best chance to win.”

The Lords will end their season at Allegheny College on Oct. 28 and then will head into the NCAC tournament holding the number one seed, with eyes on the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) tournament.